Improvement in sewing-machines



' A 2 Sheets--Sheet4 '1; G. REHFUSS.

. Sewing Machine. i

No. 43.742. l Y Patented Aug. 2,1864.

e. REHFUSS.

Sewing Machine.

2 Sheets-Sheet- 2.

l Patented Aug. 2, 1864.

- GQEORGE 'HEHEUss OE PHILADELPHIA, PA., AssIeNoH To THE AMEHIOANABUTTON HOLE sEwINcr MAOHINE COMPANY.

PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEWINGvIVIACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 43,742, dated August 2,1864.

llo all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE REHEUss, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain Improvements in'Sewing-Machines; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters of reference marked thereon.

My invention consists of certain improvements, fully describedhereinafter, in the button-hole sewing-machine for which Letters Patentwere granted to my assignees, C. S. Patterson, E. Pincus, A. Hart, M.Moore, A. Mitchell, and H. H. Reed, ou the 13th day of October, A.D.1863, my present improvements being such that an expert operator canreadily convert the machine from a button-hole sewing-machine to alockstitch sewing-machine, and vice versa. 1^

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make and usemyinvention, I will now proceed to describe its construction andoperation. l

On reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a partotl thisspecification, Figure 1, Drawing No.1, represents an inverted'plan viewof the sewing-machine for which Letters Patent were granted to myassignees, O. S. Patterson, E. Pincus, A. Hart, M. Moore, A. Mitchell,and H. H. Reed, on the 13th day of October, 1863; Fig. 2, the same asFig. 1, with some of theparts removed to make way for my presentimprovements; Fig. 3, Drawing No.2, a vertical section of part of themachine; Fig. 4, an inverted plan view of Fig. 3, and Figs. 5. 6, 7, 8,and 9 views of the shuttle.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Before I proceed to describe my present improvements it will be well torefer briefly to the said patented invention of October 13, 1863, whichconsists of certain mechanism for making a button-hole stitch from twothreads, and which is illustrated in Fig. 1, Drawing No. 1, J being ashaft, turning in suitable bearings, e e, on the under side of thebase-plate A. On

this shaft is secured a cam, f, into the curved groove of which fits apin on the horizontal lever K, the latter having its fulcr'um on a pin,71., secured to the base-plate. rPhe outer end of the lever K isconnected by a ball-and-socket joint to one end of a rod, L, theopposite end of which is connected by a similar joint to a projectiomm,on the arm M, which is hung to a pin, on the plate j.

To the 4end of the arm M is secured the curved loop-carrier N, throughtwo eyes, near the end of which passes the under thread.

Another cam, g, is secured to the cam-shaft J, and into the groove ofthis cam projects a pin on the horizontal arm P, which is hung to a pin,Z, on the base-plate, the forked end of this arm embracing a pin onanother horizontal arm, P', which is hung to a pin on the bracket Q, andwhich carries what Iterm the curved loop-holder77 B.

The loop carrier or holder N moves in the arc of a circle, and conveys aloop of thread from the under side of the fabric and upward across theedge of the same, the loop-holder, with its under thread, theloop-catcher R, and the eye-pointed needle, with its upper thread, bytheir joint action serving to form on the edges of the fabric abutton-hole stitch, as described in the said patent of October 13, 1863,which patent relates to devices for carrying out the invention for whichLetters Patent were granted to E. A. Goodes and E. L. Miller,

July 26, 1859, and reissued February 9, 1864. 1n applying my presentimprovements to the machine illustrated in Fig. 1 with the view ofconverting it from a button-hole sewing-machine to an ordinarylock-stitch sewing-machine,[ remove the connecting-rod L, the plate j,with its arms m and M, and loop-carrier N, and then detach the arm P',with its looper R, from the plate Q. To this plate I now hang an arm, P,having a projectiomp, which is embraced by the forked end of the arm'4P, as bestobserved on reference to Fig. 4, Drawing No. 2. I then attachto the under side ofthe baseplate a forked plate or bracket, S, whichcarries the spool-case .holder T, the latter having two journals ortrunnions, u, which fit into setscrews t on the forked ends of the saidbracket S, one of these journals or trunnions being furnished with acog-wheel, o, which gears into a segment, q, the latter being secured toor forming a part of the above-mentioned arm P.

The peculiar construction of the spool-case and -spool-case holder willbe best observed on reference to Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, and9. The spool caseholder T consists of a hollow cylinder,

spring, The case V also consists ot' a hollow cylinder, open at the rearend for the introduction of the spool, and having at the opposite end ahooked point, y. Thespool'W tits freely in the chamber formed Within thecase, one journal of the spool fitting loosely in an orifice in the endof the chamber and the other journal into a recess in the inside of thecap 2, which tits into the open end of the case, and which has twoyielding projections, 3 3, the latter serving to retain the said cap inits proper position, but permitting it to be readily withdrawn whenrequired.

As the shaft J revolves a vibrating motion will be imparted by the cam gto the horizontal arm P, and thence to the arm P" which, through thesegment g andA wheel a, causes the spool-case holder T to oscillare onits trunnions u from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that seen in Fig.`7, and back again. The needle 5, Fig. 3, having penetrated the fabric 7,and a loop of needle-thread having been formed beneath 'the same, thespool-case holder begins to operate, the pointy of the spool-case movingin the arc of a circle and passing between the needle 5 and the loop 6,thereby distending the loop, which passes the springf/z/1 and surroundsthe body of the spool-case, as seen in Fig. 5, the portion of the loopabove the case passing through the slot fw of the holder. The underthread, 8, passes from the spool W through a slot in the case, andthrough one or more holes in a ange which projects above the case, sothat by the time the holder has reached the position seen in Fig. 7 theunder thread will have heencatried through the loop of needle-thread,theJ latteescaping at the rear of the spool-case prior to the retfnmovement of the same and a repetition ot' the Operations.

Without further description, 1t Wlll be Seen that the ordinarylock-stitch isthd Produced- On removingthe bracket S, with thespCQlCflS/e holder and its appurtenances, and detachiig @se the arm Pl,with its segment, and on replacing the connecting-rod L and plate j,with its loop-carrier, as well as the arm P', with its loopcatcher R, asseen in Fig. 1, Drawing No. l, the machine is again converted into abuttonhole sewing-machine, and the detachable parts are'so constructed`and arranged that this conversion can be promptly accomplished by anyexpert operator of sewing-machines.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. Thespool-case holder T, operated by the scroll-cam g, arms P and Pl",segment q, and wheel/v, or other equivalentdevices for communicatinganoscillating motion to the said spoolcase holder. t y

2. The spool-case holder T, with its journals or trunnions u, incombination with the detachable bracket S, or its equivalent, the Wholebeing constructed substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

3. 'The detachable arm P', and its segment, i'n combination with thespoo1-case T and the wheel n on one of the trunnions of the said case.

In testimony whereof Ihave signed my name .to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

- GEO, REHFUSS. Witnesses:

HENRY HoWsoN, J oHN WHITE.

